San Francisco Mayor’s Bold Move: Proposes Business Curfew to Combat Rampant Drug Use and Crime

San Francisco Mayor Breed announces new legislation that will put a curfew on a section in the Tenderloin District, an area of the city notorious for its high crime rate, homelessness, and public drug usage.

Breed praised the measure in a blog post.

She wrote, “Shutting down open-air drug markets requires new approaches and strong enforcement. Last year, the SFPD arrested twice as many drug dealers as the previous year. We are continuing this work, and federal agents will be bringing more enforcement.”

In a Tuesday press release, the Mayor’s Office revealed that they would introduce legislation “to prohibit some retail establishments from selling prepackaged food or tobacco products between 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. within a part of the Tenderloin.”

Residents, police officers, and business owners of San Francisco have mixed reactions to the proposal.

In an interview with KTVU, Assistant Chief David Lazar said, “Our challenges still happen at night.” There are people selling drugs, selling stolen goods in large groups. There are drug users everywhere. The problem is that liquor and tobacco shops are more crowded when they’re open.”

Tim Benson, a local restaurant manager, told the outlet he thought a curfew could help reduce crime in the area.

Benson said, “The police are much more active and [Department of Public Works] is out there helping with the cleanup. But, it appears to be a problem that is mostly daytime. At night, it’s still wild and wild west.”

An anonymous KTVU employee said, “We want the store to remain open because we need to earn more money to pay for rent, bills, phone bills, and internet bills. We also have employees.”

The worker explained that the extra security was due to the location.

The local San Francisco resident said that the curfew would not “work” at all because “people are still sleeping rough and they’re out all night here, so markets have nothing to do with crime.”